The Mystical Island: Chapter 2

NOTE: This story is based on Author’s fiction. It does not apply to any historical references and real-life incidents. This story is a tribute to two of my close friends- Sam Dev Mohan(who died before three years) and Aariyaan. It’s a sequel to my previous story The Mystical Island: Chapter 1.

NARRATION: This story is narrated in six parts and the events are narrated in non-linear mode. The narrator in this story has been retained from the first chapter. Since, this story is a direct sequel to my first chapter.

CREDITS AND HOMAGE: I pay homage to my favorite films: Rakshit Shetty’s Ulidavararu Kadanthe(As seen by the rest), Pulp Fiction and Rashomon. Since, the narration structure were inspired from these films.

SAKTHI RIVER RESORTS

2:15 PM

After having a delicious meal of vegetable rice, meat and chicken, Sam Dev Mohan and Aariyaan relaxed for a while by sitting near to the banks of Azhiyar river. They looked at the sweet sounds of birds, which were sitting in the rocks of Azhiyar. A while later, Adhithya, Dinesh, Rohan and Harshini joined them and asked Sam to continue the history of Banned Island- North Sentinel to which he agrees.

“Human Beings in this world couldn’t even approach that place for nearly 60,000 years. No one knows what is inside there and how it will be now. This island is the most isolated place in the world.” Sam said to Harshini.

“What are you saying Sam?” asked Adhithya.

Sam replied: ““If you’re hearing it new and thinking that where is such a place exist? It is not anywhere else, it is in our India.” This really shocked his friends, who were believing that the Island was in another country. Scratching his head, Rohan said: “Even I could understand Christopher Nolan’s Tenet if I watch it seven to eight times da. But, this North Sentinel Island!!!”

Sam consoled him and narrates what happened in North Sentinel Island.

“Our Indian Government has banned that place to the public visit.” Sam told them.

“Why da?” Aariyaan questioned Sam.

“Because if you go there, you’ll be killed. The people there doesn’t know about the outside world. Except for them, they doesn’t know that these many countries, people and cars, bikes that we have in modern world exist.”

Pausing a while, Sam continued: “To say it in a simple way, think that we are inside our house. Suddenly, we hear a sound and come out to check and we see a person who look like us but a little different and gets out from a big UFO like ship, how will we feel then. We cannot understand anything, right?”

“Mm” said Harshini.

“Who are they? Where did they come from? How they are having these many technologies?” And we feel like, they might do something to us. Like that, those people will think of us when we go there. They’ll think that, we may cause something bad to them and kill us with their bow and arrow.” Looking at his friends for sometime, Sam said in his thrilling baritone voice: “And the place name is North Sentinel Island.”

Now the friends of Sam were keenly observing the narration of Sam Dev Mohan.

“The island which cannot be approached by the humans, people from India went there and tried to speak with them. In 1980, they had recorded it as a video documentary. It was only then that the outside world knew that the people of North Sentinel were like this.”

“So what happened to the people who went there?” asked Adhithya to which Rohan taps his neck and said: “Always you are in a hurry burry da. That’s what he is going to decode and narrate detail to us, right?” Everyone were silent and looked at Sam’s eyes. Since, they were eagerly waiting for his narration.

PART 1: THE RESEARCH

FEW YEARS BACK

1967

After India got independence, they thought of communicating with the North Sentinel people, and decided to make a friendly contact. In 1967, an anthropologist Triloknath Pandit, brought some scientist, armed forces, navy officers, governor a total of 20 people to the Island. They went to the island. But there was no one on the shore.

So they followed the footprints on the beach, and walked up to 1 km. But they couldn’t see any humans there. So the team returned from there. But in the beach, the gifts which the brought like, coconut, clay pots, iron…they left everything on the beach and left that place.

PART 2: THE CREW MEMBERS

THREE YEARS LATER

1970-1974

In 1970, again a research team went there. They kept a stone carving there which says that the North Sentinel Island belongs to Indian territory. Again in 1974, a film crew went there. When they went there, they took a camera with them to record and document everything that happens there. Along with them Triloknath Pandit also went there and armed forces also joined them.

This time also, when they went there they left the gifts in the shore. But now they gave a living pig as a gift. They left everything on the shore and returned to their boat. They anchored their boat in distant and started to note their reaction.

FEW MINUTES LATER

In a few minutes, some tribes came out of the forest. As soon as they came, they started to attack them with their bow and arrow. In that, one arrow…hit on the lap of film crew’s director Prem. Not only that, the pig that they gifted was also killed and burned in that shore itself. Everything was recorded in the camera which they had with them.

PRESENT

“I had updated the full video in our telegram group. Definitely, you should see this.” Sam said to his friends.

After his friends looked the video, they came back to Sam’s attention. Now, he continued: “Like I said before, this was the first time, they was recorded in a camera.” 

PART 3: GIFTS IN THE SHORE

FEW YEARS BACK

1970 TO 1990

Trilokhnath Pandit from 1970 to 1990, had tried many times like this. Every time, a small team will go there and keep a gift in the shore, will leave a living pig there. But the tribes will kill it and bury them in the shore itself. Maybe they might have not known that the pig and other animals exist.

One time, they gave a big doll as a gift. But they attacked that also with an arrow and buried it in the ground. In 1981, a trade ship which travelled from Australia to Bangladesh, came across that island. But, it was stuck in a big storm and landed near that island.

The North Sentinel people started to attack the passengers on that ship. But because of the storm, all the aimed arrow was mislead. So somehow they survived in that ship for one week and they kept on sending the emergency signal. After a week later, they was saved with helicopter.

PRESENT

At present, Sam’s friends were in deep shock.

“Thank god. They somehow managed to escape. What a miracle!” Adhithya exclaimed.

“But in the lives of North Sentinel people, there was an important moment in their history.”

“What?” asked Aariyaan.

“Because North Sentinel people for the first time in their life they came to know about iron.”

“What a joke!” Harshini laughed uncontrollably. She added: “Are you kidding? How’s that possible Sam?”

“It sounds kidding for you Harshini. Let me justify my point of view.”

“After the ship crashed there, they tried to contact them. They attacked them with their bow and arrow but now the arrow was different. Since at the edge of the arrow that they had used, was made up of iron. They had used the parts of that ship. Even now if you go and see the Google map, you can know about the north side of the North Sentinel Island, where the ship was crashed.” Sam continued telling them: “Till now the ship and it’s parts were still there.”

“What happened after these incidents? Why was this island banned?” Dinesh questioned Sam.

PART 4: FRIENDLY CONTACT

1991

Next in the history of North Sentinel people and in our history to contact them, something very important happened. In 1991, we were able to make a friendly contact with the North Sentinel people. For the first time, they didn’t attack the people who went to their island.

In January 1991, an anthropologist named Madhumala went there with her team unarmed. They gave the coconuts that they brought as a gift. This time the sentinelese got the coconuts from them without any violence.

PRESENT

“A doubt Sam!” Dinesh and Rohan asked. Sam looked at them and the guys asked him: “Why are they gifting coconut every time da?”

“Because there are no cononut trees on that island da and coconut trees doesn’t grow either.” After drinking some water, he continued: “Not only that, the reason why they didn’t behave violently this time is, maybe this time a girl went with them.”

“Until now, only men have went

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there and everyone was attacked. But for woman alone how?” asked Adhithya.

“For the first time, a women came. So they might not act violently. Also something very shocking incident happened.” 

JANUARY 1991

That day, when Madhumala’s team returned, and when they went back the next morning, a man from the tribe, was standing ready with a bow and arrow in his hand to attack them. When they thought that he would shot them at any time, another woman from the tribe came from that thick forest.

She came there and pushed his arrows down and said not to shoot them. Then he listened to what the women said and leaves without shooting. Not only that, he burned his weapon there itself. So this time, not only Madhumala. Everyone in the team went till the shore and gave the coconuts with their hands. Sentinel people also got it.

A MONTH LATER

From then after a month, both Triloknath Pandit and Madhumala went there. This time also North Sentinel people didn’t behave violently. They started getting all the coconuts from the boat very friendly. But this was the last time the Sentinel people were very friendly with the outside world.

PRESENT

Sam looked at his friends after narrating that incident. Adhithya, who was glued with the history questioned Sam: “Why Sam? What made them to take such a decision?”

“In 1991, after this, every time they tried to contact them, again they started to act very violently.”

“How friendly the Sentinel people were during that short period of time. But why they changed violently?” asked Harshini to which Sam said: “I exactly doesn’t know why they suddenly changed violently.”

PART 5: BANNING THE ISLAND

FEW YEARS BACK

1997    

In 1997, Indian Government fully banned to visit this island. What government thought is, since they are not interested, then why should we go and bother them again. They were very peaceful in that island and thought that they should be at peace.

For North Sentinel people, they came up with a policy called “Eyes on Hands Off.” That is, the government won’t disturb them. But they will keep an eye on them. It’s meaning is, “If they need any help, it will definitely help them.”

FEW YEARS LATER

2004

In 2004, because of the Tsunami in the Indian Ocean, North Sentinel Island will be affected. The people there must be affected. So the Indian government sent a helicopter to see whether the people there were fine. But the North sentinels attacked the helicopter with their bow and arrows. That’s when the officers who went there realized that, they were not affected by tsunami.

TWO YEARS LATER

2006

In 2006, something unexpected happens. To catch fish, two local fisherman took their boat and went unknowingly went near the North Sentinel island. There the North Sentinels started to attack them and both of them was stuck by an arrow and died. When the Indian government heard this immediately put a new law that no one should go within a five kilometre radius of the North Sentinel Island.

They did that so no one will go near that island.

PRESENT

“Previously, I told about John Allen who went to that island. Because of his unlimited blind faith in Christianity, his attempt to spread it cost him his life. But John has written about his interesting experience for us in his diary.” Sam told his friends, who were quiet emotional upon hearing the incidents, that were narrated by Sam so far. He continued to narrate some incidents from John’s diary.

PART 6: JOHN’S DIARY

Accordingly, we can understand the sentinel people a little more. Sentinel people’s height is not maximum than 5’3-5’5. Not only that, but when we look at the recorded video documentary footage, they has a short hair, their skin colour is shining dark, and has well defined muscles and has a well built body. They were in a good physical condition and they doesn’t look like they has disabilities. According to John’s diary, “Some people had applied a yellow paste on their face and they don’t wear any kind of dress on their body. But in their head, neck and private part, they hided with some things. Women were thick and men wore like a rope. Only men have weapons like bow and arrows…

Besides, the sentinel people know how to make a boat. But they will make only small boats. How small means, it’s width is only two feet. A very surprising thing in this is, “A sense that separates humans from animals is, Humans. If a human see anything new, they will start to think about, what is that, where did it come from and why is it like this. Humans will always have curiosity. That only brought us till here.”

New places were found by travelling by sea, and also found out that there are lot of countries. In 1400, when Columbus came to India from a European country, he found America like that only. But the North Sentinel people here, doesn’t wish to explore what is surrounding them. Because, from the North Sentinel Island, 36 km far away there was different people and different island. But still now they didn’t know it. Not even once they didn’t try to see what was around. Not only that, they didn’t even find that fire exist. They didn’t even know the existence of fire.

They cannot farm, also they didn’t even know what agriculture is like. So to hunt and eat the animals in the forest, catch and eat fishes, eating the eggs of tortoise, and survive by eating the fruits and drinking honey from the forest.

PRESENT

“What language do they speak Sam?” asked Rohan and Adhithya, to which Sam smiled at Aariyaan and his friends.

“It’s the most interesting part, buddy.” He added: “Yes. Their language would be interesting.”

PART 7: SENTINEL TRIBE’S LANGUAGE

Once, Triloknath Pandit took a tribe from the nearby island, and went to the North Sentinel Island. As soon as the North Sentinelese saw the other tribe, they got very angry. Since Portman kidnapped by bringing the tribe, they were angry for that till now. What John wrote in his diary about their language is, “Their language was in high pitch sounds like BA, PA, LA, SA.”

According to their lifestyles, they live in two ways. The whole family lives together in a big hut-like place. Or else two people lives in a small hut. And according to John’s diary he said that their number should be around 250. But according to Indian Government report, they were between 50 to 500. But we cannot go and count exactly how many people are there.

When we look their behaviour, the dead bodies have never been taken into their jungle. Even John’s dead body and those two fisherman dead body, were buried in the shore itself. And even the gifted pig was killed and buried in the shore.

PRESENT

4:15 PM

“So when we look from this, as said in the history, it was totally a lie that they were mentioned as cannibals. Definitely it was a myth.” Adhithya and Harshini inferred with the so far incidents, narrated by Sam. Then, Rohan questioned: “Are they right Sam?”

“Yes. They are right Rohan. Not only that, you will know if you note one thing. They attack when a small group goes there. But if we go as a big group like Triloknath Pandit, instead of attacking, they go and hide in the jungle. If you watch that video documentary that I have sent you, you will know. A lot of woman were pregnant and there are children too. So without reducing their count, they live in that island by sustaining their count.”

“Being in a small island, these North Sentinel people, had equalized by not destroying the forest or over population, and lives along with the nature” said Dinesh to which, Aariyaan said: “Exactly. It’s a most important thing. Why because, we know that even in small countries they are having over population. But being in a small island, and hunt and eat animals from the forest, they didn’t let those animals to become extinct. So their life cycle was well connected with nature.”

Now, the friends looked at the time. Since it’s 4:25 PM, Adhithya panicked and packed up his things.

“Why are you rushing up da Adhi?” asked Aariyaan and Sam.

“Buddy. I said to my father that, I would start my journey to SITRA Airport by 5:00 PM. Now the time is already 4:25 PM da. Let me go back soon.” Rohan and Thalapathi Ram asked Anuvishnu and Sachin. G to drop him in Pollachi Bus stand, to which they agrees.

The friends hugged finally. Along with Anuvishnu, Sachin and Adhithya, Dhaswin and Dinesh also came. Since, they too want to go back to their house before the dawn breaks.

EPILOGUE

“A lot of people say that, we should contact them, and show how the world is like, and join them together with us, and show them how much technology we had found. And thinks that they will be benefitted from that. But in the same time, what the others say is, they love to be alone. They are living very happily. So we have to protect them from the outside world and say that we shouldn’t disturb them.”